


The Daily Bug

by max (maxumari)



Series: The Daily Bug AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrien Sugar, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Has Anxiety, Minor Alya Césaire Salt, POV Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Post-Episode: s03 Ladybug, The Daily Bug, basically lovesquare appreciation on all sides
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22342150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxumari/pseuds/max
Summary: A short, sporadically written AU in which Adrien takes matters into his own hands - More specifically, he makes “The Daily Bug”, an official Chat Noir and Ladybug blog, made by the heroes themselves, to counter the Ladyblog’s current state of tabloid gossip and Lila worship.Major Adrien Redemption and sugar, Alya salt (but with a dose of redemption, they are just a bunch of teens after all) and tons of fluff and partnership on all sides of the lovesquare. (Also, mostly written from Adrien's point of view.)Sporadic uploading, still a wip, chapter length varies depending on my energy and mood.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: The Daily Bug AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608247
Comments: 55
Kudos: 807





	1. Chapter 1

If there was one thing Adrien Agreste knew - it was that the Ladyblog had become unreliable. A tabloid, however much it had hurt him to say it to himself, let alone to Alya’s face, seeing as she was one of his friends.

He cared, a lot. Truly, he did.

But it was the undeniable truth that over time, the blog had been plagued with gossip, Lila’s lies, and pictures that were against his Lady’s wishes. The Oblivio incident had made him happy at the time, but after a while of thinking, he’d reflected upon the fact that Ladybug hadn’t liked the picture, hadn’t allowed it to be posted. The blond thought back to the picture Lila had posted everywhere she could, sending it to everyone he knew, and the sinking feeling of discomfort in the pit of his stomach when she’d invaded his space and exposed that vulnerability to the world.

When he’d looked at it that way, Adrien saw it all in a different light, and it ate at him continuously. A lot of his actions did, now that he’d been sitting on them, with Plagg guiding him subtly through it all.

But, it was undeniable that the Ladyblog had been helpful. It was the number one source for Akuma attacks and live streams of the situation, for both citizens of Paris that were in danger, and for those outside of Paris that worried about their Parisian family members and friends.

What was he supposed to do?

_The triumphant stare in her bluebell eyes, looking every bit like his Lady. Grinning at Alya, glaring at Chloe._

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people do nothing.”

Right. He’d done a lot of nothing, hadn’t he.

Adrien might have to go the high road, but _Chat Noir_ didn’t. _Chat Noir_ only cared about two things: Ladybug’s name getting dragged through the mud, and the safety of the people of Paris.

Adrien found himself at his computer, setting up a website with a passion burning brightly in him, fingers tapping away rapidly at keys.

The Daily Bug.

He winces. Doesn’t sound too cool, but the name will be worked out later. He can change it as long as he does before the debut of the blog - And it’ll be a while before he does that, seeing as he wanted to speak with Ladybug on this. After all, this would be for her more than anyone else.

He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat puts on his big boy pants and has a big boy talk with Ladybug.

“Chaton?” Ladybug raises an eyebrow when Chat Noir places a hand on her arm just as she’s about to head home. He’s glaring down at his baton, the top part of it propped up, his nose scrunched up in determination. **  
**

“I had an idea," 

"Oh, I don’t like that tone of voice." 

"My Lady, it’s important!” But Chat’s still laughing as he bumps his elbow against her’s. 

“Of course, of course.” She smiles, endeared. “Go on, kitty.”

“This is…about the Ladyblog." 

He watches her stiffen.

"I thought about it, about us having no say in what she posts, and how it’s more like a tabloid now.”

Ladybug opens her mouth to speak, and Chat Noir shakes his head.

“Let me finish, please. But - hear me out. I want to make a blog where the two of us share our two cents on things. Professional Akuma attack reports, warnings, maybe even support for the people of Paris. Nothing to show our identities, nothing to do with acting like celebrities.”

He does catch his breath at the way she relaxes the more he explains, at how her eyes twinkle at him, one hand placed over his own as Paris’s star heroine turns the baton to look at what he’s done.

“Chat,” She starts, and he hears the excitement in her voice, passing through him by association, “This is a great idea, but we need to be able to contact each other more often, then.”

The blond’s face falls, like a beaten up kitten. He hadn’t - He hadn’t thought of that, and suddenly his ultra genius plan hadn’t seemed so genius; Until she lets out a giggle.

“Mon minou, don’t give up so quickly. I had an idea I was going to bring up,” When Chat perks back up, she smiles even brighter, unendingly so. “You have a phone, of course? I know you said your father’s restrictive, so.”

He nods enthusiastically, attentive.

“Do you think you’d be able to sneak a chatting app on it? There’s several anonymous ones, where we can just create accounts and talk to each other, as long as we make sure there’s no traces of our identities left.” As she explains so, she opens up her yoyo, navigating through it to get to what she was looking for.

Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of that? Though. In retrospect, it was kind of obvious.

Maybe the amazement, confusion, and then frustration show on his expression like a slideshow, because she’s barely holding in her laugh when she looks up at him.

“Then, here.” Ladybug takes his baton nonetheless, taps something into his memos, and hands it over. “The app I want to use, and what my burner account’s username is. We’ll keep talking about this later, okay?”

“Okay. You’re a genius, my Lady. I’m excited to get to work on this, and hopefully it’ll take the pressure off our shoulders for a bit.” Butterflies flutter in his stomach at the way her lips tug upwards, mirroring each other’s smiles.

“Talk to you later tonight, then. Goodnight, Chat!” 

“Goodnight, Ladybug.”

He watches, hopelessly, as she swings away with her yoyo, an enamored sigh escaping him in the silence of the night. Adrien normally hates having to head back home after a patrol, knowing he’ll have to return to the numb, strict routine under his father. 

But tonight, he can’t get there faster, itching to talk with his Lady all night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cleaned up the half-written chapter I had laying around and decided to upload it despite it being another short chapter.
> 
> (Maybe I should start putting these in the same chapter. Oops.)

_ But tonight, he can’t get there faster, itching to talk with his Lady all night. _

_ She seemed to have something bothering her, and after giving a vague recount of her problem with no names mentioned, Adrien had thought about Marinette, thought about how she must be feeling. Normally by then Plagg would've mentioned how late it is, but he merely left him to his own devices, to think long into the night. _

Walking into class is stressful. The tension is still in the air, even if their friendships have been kept together thus far. It’s their own fault, Adrien’s sure of it, because they had failed to believe Marinette, regardless of whether they were still trying to be friendly or not.

When he sees the aforementioned girl seated in her seat much earlier than usual, and thinks back to last night, he decides to continue to break his role of passivity. 

Marinette lets out a loud squeak when she opens her mouth to greet Alya and sees Adrien in her place. Stuttering out an otherwise incomprehensible string of words, Adrien smiles patiently at her.

"A-Adrien- You're-?"

"Just checking on our Everyday Ladybug. You've been really quiet…and I wouldn't be making very good on my promise if I left you to face things alone." 

He glances over to Lila, watching the girl glare at Marinette with so much  _ hatred _ . When she notices Adrien watching, she flashes him a cutesy smile, which he meets indifferently, lips in a thin line, before he turns back to Marinette. She frowns at that.

"How have you been holding up? She's not giving you any more trouble, is she..?"

The way her adoring, flustered smile drops is enough of an indicator of how she feels, and the tight feeling in the pit of his stomach makes him sick. He doesn't want her to ever look that upset.

"S-She...Yeah, she's left me alone…Kind of."

"Marinette?" Adrien places his hand over her's, watches her fluster and stare at him like he has three heads. "You know you can tell me anything, right? We're friends."

She droops even more, to his disappointment. Just  _ what _ was he getting wrong? 

“Yeah...Y-yeah. I know. Friends.” She takes a deep breath, and then a fire burns in her eyes that does  _ something _ to him. “Adrien, I--”

“Adrien!”

They both whipped their heads around to the front of the classroom, both sets of eyes meeting with Alya’s. Some part of him wonders what Marinette was going to say, knowing that now he’ll be ushered off to his original seat - But, to his surprise, the brunette just grins at the two of them.

“I’m surprised to see you’ve taken up residence in my seat,” She raises an eyebrow, looking at Marinette with an eye for mischief. The poor ravenette just smiles sheepishly. To Adrien's surprise, Alya's not mad, in fact, she just gives them the space they needed, sitting down beside Nino who beams at him like there's a joke they're not sharing. 

“I'll sit with Nino - I wanted to talk to him anyway."

With that aside, Adrien turns to Marinette, sunshine practically radiating from his expression.

"What were you going to say, Marinette?"

She jumps, bluebell eyes glancing nervously at him - before she lets out a sigh and smiles. "It's nothing, Adrien. I'm just glad you're my friend."

The instant it leaves her mouth, a lack of stuttering or embarrassment anywhere near it - That sunshine only radiates  _ more. _

"Oh," He breathes, and why do his words catch in his throat? Why are there small little butterflies in his stomach, forcing the goofiest grin to break out across his face, earning an amused and endeared look from Marinette that almost reminds him of-

"Okay, class. Everyone in your seats for attendance."

Brushing his elbow against Marinette's, he offers her another smile, eyes twinkling. She returns it sheepishly, and he passes her a note -

_ 'Meet me at the library during lunch.' _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette have a little heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feedback on this fic is INSANE, I started it just for fun and never really got anyone reading it back when I uploaded it on Tumblr. I'm glad to know people are interested though, so expect more updates.
> 
> Make sure to check my Tumblr, lillaqs, because I take requests there.

Adrien has never been more thankful that the library allows foods as long as you clean up after yourself and had something - a plate, a bowl, a wrapper, whatever really - to avoid crumbs dropping. He didn’t think it’d be allowed with all the books around, but Nino had mentioned that Marinette frequently brought snacks over to study group sessions with him and his girlfriend, when exams really got mind-numbing.

_What he’d give to go to one of those sessions just to taste some more of his friend’s baking._

As if reading his mind, the ravenette had chosen that moment to walk through the library carrying a pack of _something_ that smelled good, the smell wafting through the air directly towards Adrien’s unsuspecting nostrils. 

His lunch was made and packed by his chef, of course, and not everyone could boast that. But in that moment it seemed like his butter lettuce, paired with some veggies, as well as some spare white-meat chicken, was nothing more than a wet patch of grass in comparison to the Dupain-Cheng treat his treacherous mouth was watering for.

His gaze, it seemed, did not go unnoticed, because when Marinette sat down beside him, she gave him an amused smile and pulled open her lunchbox.

“D-Do you want some?”

“Huh?” Adrien offers a sheepish noise in response, trying to tear his eyes away from the delicacy before him. _‘Think of the calories!’ He can already hear his dietician screaming._

“Not that I’m trying to make it out like you’re s-starving or anything! Obviously, it’s just that you were - Um, you were staring and I don’t eat as much as my dad packs anyway so I really don’t mind but if I understand if you don’t want to after all you’re a model and-” 

Marinette seemed to have lost Adrien after she said she didn’t mind, as he gazed almost longingly at the lunchbox packed with ginger pork, steamed rice, and small parts of meals here and there that he’s pretty sure he’d seen in tv shows but never known the name of. Beside it is a smaller box of eclairs, croissants, and pain au chocolat, and he can tell his eyes were nearly bulging out of his head because in his mind, his dietician is sobbing repeatedly to him.

Whatever it is that causes Marinette to stutter around him, it seems to have gone, because when she sees him practically staring jaw-slacked at her lunch her flustered glance shifts into a more concerned one, glancing down at his lunch. It’s not necessarily unappealing, and it’s certainly not that he’s being starved, just that it seemed..a bit overboard. She always knew models had to care for their appearance more meticulously, but it hadn’t really registered how eating something so nutritious next to something so self-gratifying seemed unfair.

“Here.” She pulls up a compartment from her lunchbox, distributing some of the food between the two before handing it to him with a caring smile that was so infectious, he found himself smiling, too.

“You don’t have to, you know. I feel pretty bad taking your food when I called you here for a different reason.” He bumps his leg against her’s, a silent _thank you_ , and she bumps it right back, though she hesitates.

He ends up taking the food anyway, because it’s hard to say no to his Everyday Ladybug.

“I-It’s okay. I don’t mind, really...And what _did_ you call me here for, anyway?”

“Well, food troubles aside, would it be so bad if I said I actually just wanted to check up on you? And make sure you’re okay, too. You’ve been kind of quiet. This stuff usually goes right over my head, ‘cause, y’know, I’m not very good at social cues. But if there’s one thing I picked up from my father,” Adrien picks at the food he was given at the mention of him, his nose scrunching up, “It’s staying quiet and watching how people react. The difference is he uses it against them, but I want to be able to help you.”

At that, Marinette’s hands shake, and he peers back up at her to find her smile looks strained. Concerned, he puts down his fork and reaches out to place his hand over hers. Normally, that gains him a flustered reaction, but she only musters a little more effort to smile at him.

“Marinette..?”

“I-It’s nothing! Just..Um...Thanks. Thank you. A lot…” She goes quieter, “It means a lot to me.”

And he looks at her, _really looks at her,_ and he sees something he doesn’t like to see. Setting aside the lunch he’d been packed, as well as the lunch Marinette had kindly shared with him, Adrien places a hand on her cheek and guides her gaze towards him.

“Hey.” He murmurs, unsure what to say. As a sheltered kid, he has little to no experience comforting others - and certainly no experience in knowing what’s going on with them. “I can see you’re hurting. I care about you a lot. Don’t shut me out, please.”

It’s a few beats of sheer silence - They are the only two in the library, aside from a few lingering kids on the upper floors and the librarian placing books in their spot - and seated at the table hidden behind so many bookshelves, it is a little piece of the world to themselves, with no one else around.

Softly, Marinette whispers something so quietly that Adrien isn’t sure he heard her at first.

“Lila threatened me in the bathroom.”

_She threatened my Princess._

“Lila threatened you..?”

Marinette nods frantically, like doing so any less would cause him not to believe her. His heart aches at that - Chances are, she firmly believed he _wouldn’t_ have. But he is her friend first and foremost, and knows that Lila is a liar, so why wouldn’t he?

Was it because he asked her not to out the liar? _(Or was it because no one else believed her, about everything else?)_

“Oh, Marinette... _Mari_ , I’m so sorry.” He gently pulls her in for a hug, and he earns a half-hearted squeak, but slowly, his friend sinks into his embrace, clutching at his white shirt feebly. Her own lunch is placed aside on the table. To him, she is warm and strong, radiant like the sun, but the storm clouds over her feel so _unlike_ her.

Or was it? Did he even really know anything about her, what was happening to her?

Their friendships have been getting tense, but even he can tell everyone is trying hard to believe in Marinette. She is their Everyday Ladybug - while there may be doubt planted in her interactions with them, she has still done so much for _everyone_. But had that been enough? Surely, wouldn’t it be taking a toll on her, just like trying to keep the peace and be non-confrontational had been digging at him slowly for so long?

“She told me that she’d..take away all my friends. Turn them all against me, and she...Sh-She almost _did_. Adrien...I almost got expelled, almost got everyone akumatized, and I’ve cried over what she’s done so many times and I don’t know why she…”

The words are unsaid, but they’re there. _Why did she change her mind?_

Adrien sucks in a breath at that, he’d yet to tell her. But he didn’t want to interrupt her - not now. Not when she cried into his arms, and he kept an eye on the air around her for purple butterflies.

“The first time Lila got akumatized, that akuma was for me. That was when she threatened me in the bathroom, and I was crying, and I almost got akumatized..”

_That long ago?!_ He wants to say, _Why didn’t you tell anyone?_

But he lets her continue.

“When I told Nino and Alya about Lila lying they…” _No, please no._ “They didn’t … believe me.”

It makes so much _sense_ now, in retrospect, that Marinette had said nothing. 

“Alya kept trying to prove me innocent when I almost got expelled, which I appreciate a lot, b-but...She kept insisting it couldn’t be Lila…Kept insisting I just had a grudge against her. I don’t know why all of this happens to me. I work really hard to make everyone h-happy, and to impress them, but I..I...I don’t understand. It’s like the world is against me…”

“Marinette…” Adrien pauses, searching her eyes. He wipes away a few spare tears. “If the whole world is against you, I’ll be by your side. Okay? It’s you and me against the world. I’ll figure out a way to get Lila back for what she’s done, without you having to be put in the crossfire anymore. We’ll figure it out together, but right now I need you to take deep breaths. Okay? I’ll be right here for you, waiting, no matter how long it takes.”

Brushing back her hair, he can’t help a spare thought at the sight of her pigtails.

“Like Chat Noir and Ladybug.” He grins. “If you’re our Everyday Ladybug, I’ll be your Chat Noir, right?” There’s a certain irony in the statement that makes him want to laugh. _If only she knew._

She does laugh at that, wiping away a few of her own tears. Her mind doesn’t fully register how close they are together, or the way they look from an outsider’s point of view, but in that moment she’s too emotionally tired to care.

“Thank you, Adrien. It means a lot... _Chaton._ ” Her happiness is so _blinding_ when it’s back in full swing, and he feels so _elated_ to see it. The little nickname doesn’t slip past him either, an allusion back to his Chat Noir and Ladybug statement. It makes him so, _so_ unendingly happy.

“As you do, M’lady.” He bows overdramatically, and Marinette blinks once, twice, before bursting into laughter, the blond joining her shortly after.

Checking his phone for the time, Adrien’s smile falls slightly, but he’s still feeling so giddy. Not nearly enough time for the two of them, but it hardly puts a damper on his good mood.

“There’s only about ten minutes left before lunch ends. Let’s actually finish eating, and I’ll walk you to your next class, okay? I’m sure Alya won’t mind I stole you away for a bit.” 

“If anything, I’m sure she didn’t notice.” It’s said playfully, but Adrien picks up on the small hint of sadness in her voice, and he places a hand on her back and gives her a small _look._

Marinette shakes her head, answering the question that wasn’t asked out loud. “I’ll be okay.”

_Good_ , he thinks, before sneaking a croissant from her box. Biting down on it, he nearly melts into a big puddle of _Adrien_ , all over his chair at the table. 

“I swear, what does your dad _put_ in these that makes them so delicious?!” He exclaims, earning a frantic _shush_ from the librarian, where he sheepishly smiles at her before stuffing his mouth with the rest of the pastry.

Giggling at both his antics and the librarian scolding him, Marinette hands him a napkin with one hand, her other hand covering her mouth.

“Th-Those weren’t even made by my dad. They’re made by me, so they’re not really up to regular Dupain-Cheng standard ...I-I don’t like to burden my dad by asking him to make me dessert on top of everything.”

Adrien sits up, eyes practically sparkling. His _friend_ made these?? He knew she was incredible, but these were _phenomenal_. Could she really not tell?

“You made these? You really need to show me how to, sometime. I couldn’t even tell...They’re so good.” 

“You probably couldn’t tell because you rarely ever even eat sugary pastries. You’d probably eat an undercooked cookie and think it’s the world’s most amazing pastry.” She points out, giggling, and then her cheeks grow red as she freezes. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to offend, I-”

Instead, Adrien bursts out laughing, _genuinely_ laughing, earning another glare from the librarian - to which he quiets down. “It’s okay! You’re my friend, you’re allowed to tease me, you know.” 

Another giddy feeling rises in him when Marinette relaxes, returning his laugh. She looks the happiest she’s been in _weeks_ , and it makes Adrien feel warm, feel _loved_. 

So this is what having such a good friend is like.

The bell interrupts his thoughts, however, and he peers over at their unfinished lunches. 

“We didn’t even get that much eating done - Will you be okay?”

“I can survive until I get home.” She shrugs playfully, and he rolls his eyes. “Take the lunch I gave you with you, okay? Then - um, you can just wash that part of my lunchbox and bring it to school the next day.”

“You’re the best, Marinette.” Marinette blushes.

Making sure to clasp the lid of it shut and place a few napkins around it so it won’t spill in his backpack, he holds his lunch box under his arm, and Marinette’s offered lunch in his hand. He takes her own in his other, so she can stand, and shakes his head when she makes a grab for it.

“I’ll carry it for the lady.” He huffs in an over-exaggerated tone, earning a few more of those beloved giggles from his friend that cause the corner of his lips to spread further. “What’s your next class?”

“Art class. Thanks again for...well, everything...I mean it, I don’t want to be a bother, so-”

“You’re never a bother, Marinette. It’s okay, I promise. I’d do anything for our Everyday Ladybug, after all.”

Adrien earns another cute blush, and he’s starting to think he doesn’t really _mind_ making her react that way.

Plagg, who is hiding in Adrien’s shirt pocket, has to stop himself from audibly groaning.


End file.
